Status and Authority of the President of the Republic of Belarus

The President of Belarus shall be the Head of the State, the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the rights and freedoms of man and citizen. His authorities are regulated by the Constitution of Belarus, the law “Concerning the President of the Republic of Belarus” and other official documents.Biography of President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

Status of the President of the Republic of Belarus

The President of the Republic of Belarus shall be the Head of the State, the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the rights and freedoms of man and citizen.

The President shall personify the unity of the nation, guarantee the implementation of the main guidelines of the domestic and foreign policy, represent the Republic of Belarus in relations with other states and international organizations. The President shall take measures to ensure the protection of sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, its national security and territorial integrity, ensure its political and economic stability, continuity and interaction of the bodies of state power, maintain the intermediation among the bodies of state power.

The President enjoys immunity; the President’s honor and dignity are protected by the law.

Election of the President of the Republic of Belarus

Any citizen of the Republic of Belarus by birth of at least 35 years of age who is eligible to vote and has been residing in the Republic of Belarus for at least ten years prior to the elections may be elected President.

The President shall be elected directly by the people of the Republic of Belarus for a term of office of five years on the basis of universal, free, equal, direct suffrage by secret ballot.

Presidential candidates shall be nominated by citizens of the Republic of Belarus, provided the signatures of no less than 100,000 voters have been collected.

Presidential elections shall be called by the House of Representatives no later than five months and shall be held no later than two months prior to the expiration of the term of office of the previous President.

If the office of the President falls vacant, elections shall be held no sooner than 30 days and no later than 70 days from the day on which the office fell vacant.

The elections shall be deemed to have taken place if over half of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus on the electoral roll have taken part in the voting.

The President shall be deemed elected if over half of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus who took part in the voting voted for him.

If none of the candidates gets the required number of votes, a second round of voting between the two candidates who have obtained the largest number of votes shall be conducted within two weeks.

The presidential candidate who obtains more than half of the votes of those who took part in the second voting shall be deemed elected.

The procedure of holding presidential elections shall be determined by the Election Code of the Republic of Belarus.

Inauguration of the President of the Republic of Belarus

The President shall assume the office after taking the following Oath: "Assuming the office of the President of the Republic of Belarus, I solemnly swear to faithfully serve the people of the Republic of Belarus, to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of man and of the citizen, to observe and protect the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, and to fulfill strictly and conscientiously the lofty duties that have been bestowed upon me".

The Oath shall be taken in a solemn ceremony in the presence of members of the House of Representatives and members of the Council of the Republic, the judges of the Constitutional, Supreme and Supreme Economic Courts no later than two months from the day on which the President has been elected. The powers of the previous President shall terminate from the moment the President-elect has taken the Oath.

Authority of the President of the Republic of Belarus

call republican referenda;

call regular and extraordinary elections to the House of Representatives, the Council of the Republic and local representative bodies;

dissolve the Houses of the Parliament in the instances and according to the procedure determined by the Constitution;

appoint six members of the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda;

form, dissolve and reorganize the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, other bodies of state administration as well as consultative advisory councils, other bodies at the President;

appoint the Prime Minister with the consent of the House of Representatives;

determine the structure of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, appoint and dismiss Deputy Prime Ministers, ministers and other members of the Government, take decision on resignation of the Government or any of its members;

appoint the Presiding Judge of the Constitutional, Supreme and Supreme Economic Courts from among the judges of these courts with the consent of the Council of the Republic;

appoint judges of the Supreme and Supreme Economic Courts, the Chairperson of the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda, the Prosecutor General, the Chairperson and members of the Board of the National Bank with the consent of the Council of the Republic ;

appoint six judges of the Constitutional Court and other judges of the Republic of Belarus;

dismiss the Chairperson and judges of the Constitutional, Supreme and Supreme Economic Courts, the Chairperson of the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda, the Prosecutor General, the Chairperson and members of the Board of the National Bank on the grounds provided by the law and with notification of the Council of the Republic;

appoint and dismiss the Chairperson of the State Control Committee;

address the people of the Republic of Belarus with messages on the state of the nation and on the guidelines of the domestic and foreign policy;

address the Parliament with annual messages which are presented without discussion at the sittings of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic; have the right to participate in sessions of the Parliament and its bodies; deliver speeches and addresses to the Parliament and its bodies at any requested time;

have the right to chair meetings of the Government of the Republic of Belarus;

appoint heads of the republican bodies of state administration and determine their status; appoint official representatives of the President in the Parliament and other officials whose offices are determined by the legislation, unless otherwise provided by the Constitution;

make decisions on granting citizenship of the Republic of Belarus, the termination thereof and granting asylum;

institute state holidays and red-letter days, honor with state awards, confer ranks and titles;

grant pardons to convicted persons;

conduct negotiations and sign treaties, appoint and recall diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Belarus to/from foreign states and international organizations;

receive letters of credence and of recall from diplomatic representatives of foreign states accredited to the President;

in the event of a natural disaster, a catastrophe, or unrest involving violence or threat of violence on the part of a group of persons or organizations that endangers people’s life and health or jeopardizes the territorial integrity and existence of the State, declare a state of emergency in the territory of the Republic of Belarus or in specific areas thereof and within three days submit the decision to the Council of the Republic for approval;

in instances specified by law, be entitled to defer a strike or suspend it for a period not exceeding three months;

sign laws; have the right, under the procedure established by the Constitution, to return a law or some of its provisions with objections to the House of Representatives;

have the right to abolish acts of the Government;

exercise control directly or through specially formed bodies over the observance of laws by local bodies of government and self-government; have the right to suspend decisions of local councils of deputies or abolish decisions of local executive and administrative bodies if they do not conform to the requirements of the legislation;

form and head the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus, and appoint and dismiss the State Secretary of the Security Council;

be the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus; appoint and dismiss the high command of the Armed Forces;

impose, in the event of a military threat or attack, martial law in the territory of the Republic of Belarus and declare general or partial mobilization with submission within three days of the taken decision for approval of the Council of the Republic;

exercise other powers entrusted to the President by the Constitution and laws.

Lawmaking Activity of the President of the Republic of Belarus

The President shall, on the basis of and in accordance with the Constitution, issue edicts and executive orders which are binding in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

In instances provided by the Constitution the President shall issue decrees having the force of laws.

The President shall directly or through specially formed bodies ensure execution of decrees, edicts and executive orders.